Since I've been reading the eleventy-billion pages of The Tale of Genji as part of the Summer Big Book Challenge, I found this relatively short guide on Kindle to append the sometimes confusing novel. It does give explanations of some of the content that is unusual to Western readers. It includes a chapter by chapter summary of the story, a list of the characters and their connections, maps of the story's locations, and the emperor's palace. Unfortunately this guide is written specifically for two other translations of "Genji", by Arthur Waley and Edward G. Seidensticker so not all the interpretations match up with the Dennis Washburn translation we are using. However, I did find it helpful and will refer to it as I complete the novel. Too bad I didn't find it sooner.
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